by the door; and before
reaching the banquet room, in which the king would appear in person,
each would be properly attired; but the deficient one, by some means had
entered by another way; and not having passed the attendant sentinels at
the portal, he was an intruder, of a kind with the man to whom the Lord
had before referred as a thief and a robber because, not entering by the
door, he had climbed up some other way.[1103] The king gave a command,
and his ministers[1104] bound the offender and cast him forth from the
palace into outer darkness, where the anguish of remorse caused weeping
and gnashing of teeth.

As summary and epilogue of the three great parables constituting this
series, the Lord spake these words of solemn import: "For many are
called, but few are chosen."[1105] Each of the parables has its own
wealth of wisdom; and the three are as one in declaring the great truth
that even the children of the covenant will be rejected except they make
good their title by godly works; while to the heathen and the sinners
the portals of heaven shall open, if by repentance and compliance with
the laws and ordinances of the gospel they shall merit salvation.

The story of the royal marriage feast was the last of our Lord's
parables delivered publicly to a mixed audience. Two others were spoken
to the apostles, as they sat in solemn converse with the Lord on the
Mount of Olives after the public ministry of Christ had been brought to
a close.

NOTES TO CHAPTER 30.

1. Fig Tree.--"The fig tree is very common in Palestine (Deut. 8:8). Its
fruit is a well known and highly esteemed article of food. In the East
this is of three kinds; (1) the early fig, ripening about the end of
June; (2) the summer fig, ripening in August; (3) the winter fig, larger
and darker than No. 2, hanging and ripening late on the tree, even after
the leaves were shed, and sometimes gathered in the spring. The blossoms
of the fig tree are within the receptacle or so-called fruit, and not
visible outwardly; and this fruit begins to develop before the leaves.
Hence the fig tree which had leaves before the usual time might
naturally have been expected to have also some figs on it (Mark 11:13);
but it was not true to its pretensions." (Smith's _Comp. Bible Dict_.)

2. The Two Sons in the Parable.--Although this excellent parable was
addressed to the chief priests, scribes, and elders, who had come in
hostile spirit to demand of Christ the credenti